Fieldcrest got off to a fast start but it took a huge second-quarter charge for the Knights to swat Heyworth in the first quarterfinal game of the McLean County Tournament at the Shirk Center Monday night.

The first upset took place in the second game as No. 5 Ridgeview manhandled No. 4 Lexington to also earn a spot in Friday’s semifinal round.

Fieldcrest 57, Heyworth 40

The Knights scored the first seven points of the first quarterfinal game and did not trail. But the fast start did not deter the eighth-seeded Hornets.

Heyworth managed to tie the game at 11-11 when Dallas Lee scored underneath with 1:29 left in the opening period. Unknown at the time was the last field goal for the Hornets until the second half.

In the meantime, Fieldcrest, who won last year’s event and three of the last four, showed why it is the team to beat this time, as well.

The Knights outscored Heyworth 25-1 to close out the half, including a 22-1 difference in the second quarter. Drew Barth connected for a 3-pointer with 23 seconds remaining in the first quarter to start the run.

Augmenting Fieldcrest’s scoring was a defense that came to life in the second period. Kyle Crowley scored twice on fastbreaks as the Knights pulled away in the first three minutes of the quarter.

Crowley and Barth, a freshman, combined for all 14 points from the end of the first period until Lee made a free throw with 4:23 to go in the first half.

“We pushed the basketball down the floor, found the open guy, moved the basketball much better, beat their press defense and got the tempo to where we wanted it,” FHS head coach Matt Winkler said of the quarter.

It was almost getting to be ridiculous and painful the way Heyworth was unable to match the Knights.

What made Fieldcrest human was the way it managed to get through the second half. Leading 36-12 at the break gave the Knights a very good chance at invoking the 30-point rule — running clock — in the fourth quarter.

But Heyworth did not allow that to happen. The Hornets were able to able to outscore the Knights by two points in the third quarter and by five in the final frame.

Fieldcrest may not have finished as strong as Winkler might have wanted, but the Knights were not threatened, either.

Page 2 of 3 - “We wanted to come out strong. I thought we came out strong in the first half (but) had a slow start to the second half,” Crowley said afterward. “Hopefully we can come back Friday.”

Lee had 10 points for Heyworth.

Ridgeview 45, Lexington 32

The second game of the night appeared to be everything a game between the fourth and fifth seeds should be. But the Mustangs stepped up their defense over the final 2 1/2 quarters to stymie the Minutemen.

The two teams traded leads eight times and there was a tie over the first 12 minutes of the game. But Lexington took a timeout with 4:03 to go in the second quarter. The Minutemen hadn’t scored in nearly two minutes and head coach Andrew McDowell was looking to make something happen.

What took place was RHS head coach Rodney Kellar’s emphasis on defense and rebounding and his team’s response. LHS managed just one free throw over the final four minutes and Ridgeview put in six points to take a 24-18 lead into the break.

“I thought Josh, Brock and Will really controlled the boards in the second half,” Kellar said. “One look and done, I thought that was big.”

The teams traded scores for most of the third period. The Mustangs had the edge in the scoring after Josh Weier and Matt Barnes each connected on 3-pointers.

Ridgeview snapped the tit-for-tat scoring and Lexington’s frustration began to show when Evan Golliday was called for an intentional foul on Trevor McIntosh with 6.1 seconds to go in the third period.

McIntosh was pushed at the top of the key as he drove past Golliday and Nate Jacobs. He ended up sprawled on the floor after sliding into the base of the bleachers by the basket standard.

Cory Winterland came in and shot the free throws, making both, to put the Mustangs ahead 38-27 entering the last stanza.

Lexington (11-7) shot just 28 percent for the game, making 11 of 39 shots from the field. Ridgeview was a bit better by going 16 of 40 for 40 percent.

“We didn’t well five feet in. I think we make those buckets it’s a different game,” McDowell said. “Our defensive effort held them to 45, which is pretty good. We just have to finish at the rim and make free throws.”